Abstract
In the current oil and gas environment, the status quo for completing and perforating wells is being challenged by increased well complexities and extreme cost pressure. In pursuit of increased productivity, improved operational efficiency, and reduced costs, operators and service companies must look at novel approaches to how they complete and perforate wells.
Several innovative approaches have been implemented to optimize perforating operations and enable operators to complete wells in a more efficient, cost-effective, and productive manner. Detailed job planning and preparation identified candidate wells with intervals that typically would not be accessible or cost-effective via wireline perforating. Through the introduction of wireline perforating tractors, addressable selective switches, release devices and high-strength cables, the ability to access these wells by wireline and convey ultralong perforating gun strings has pushed the operating envelope. Utilizing job simulation and planning software, optimum perforating configurations can be designed to maximize gun length while ensuring the assembly can reach the target depth, perforate, and either drop the guns intentionally or withstand the perforating shock and return to surface safely with the spent guns.
In the last several years, ultralong perforating operations deployed on wireline have become more widespread. These jobs have demonstrated that in specific applications, improved completion efficiency can be achieved over conventional perforating operations without impacting the operational integrity or safety of the operation. A specific area of focus is wireline-deployed perforating that is performed without killing the well. In these cases, innovative solutions have delivered significant cost savings to the operator with improved operational efficiency of the perforating operation as well as the post-perforating cleanup.
